The Little Brown Church

My favorite fashion blogger, Paige, recently asked me to guest post on her blog Sunday Best and All the Rest.  What better place to wear your Sunday best than at The Little Brown Church in the Vale?  I decided to share my visit there!

"There's a church in the valley by the wildwood, no lovelier spot in the dale;  

No place is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale." 

Travelling through Iowa in 1857, Dr. William Pitts noticed a beautiful wooded spot in the Cedar River Valley.  He thought it would be a lovely place for a church, and the thought would not give him rest until he wrote the hymn "The Church in the Wildwood" upon his arrival home.

Amatuer Radio Field Day

A couple years ago I decided to get an amateur radio license.  So, I bought a couple study guides, learned all about radios and their components, antennas, bands, and all that good stuff, and passed the test to get a Technician's license without a problem.  Then I bought a radio, and it has patiently sat in my desk for two years waiting for me to program it.

To be honest, there are a lot of other things I'm much more passionate about, and I'm *very* rusty on everything I learned about radios.  But...my name is in the FCC database with my call sign KE0BCA, so my interest in amateur radio is public record till at least 2024.

Cole's Foods & Ice Cream Shop

On our way to deliver concrete pads to a coop near Des Moines this June, Papa and I stopped for lunch at Cole's in Slater, Iowa.  Visiting little diners, you never know what to expect, which makes for a much more exciting culinary experience than chain restaurants offer.

 A sign outside the building advertised the Hall of Fame burger, which appeared to be "free if you can eat it all."  I wasn't up to an eating marathon, so to stay on the safe side, I ordered a chicken sandwich ($6.35) and a bottle of water ($1.00).  Papa ordered a double burger ($7.59) and fries ($2.80). 

Appanoose County Courthouse

St. Louis Trip, Day 8, Friday, July 31, 2015

Court in Centerville, Iowa (the Appanoose County seat) was first held in a building that was also used as a blacksmith's shop and storeroom.  In 1848 the first real courthouse (measuring 24 by 20 feet) was built for $119.  

When this proved too small, court was held at the local churches until a two-story brick building was constructed for $23,000.